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The Beatles (formed 1960 - 1969)The Beatles are one of the most famous and successful bands in the history of pop music and have sold well over one billion records across the globe.

Formation: John Lennon met Paul McCartney in 1957 when he was playing in a skiffle group named The Quarrymen. He invited McCartney to join the group and later, George Harrison also joined. Stuart Sutcliffe then joined on bass. The band had a number of gigs lined up in Germany, but had no drummer. Eventually, Pete Best was invited to drum for the band. Upon their return to Liverpool in 1961, Brian Epstein saw the band for the first time, at the now-infamous Cavern Club in Liverpool. The band auditioned for Decca (The Rolling Stones' label) but failed the audition. Epstein took it upon himself to fire Pete Best from the band and they hired Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr). The band's debut single, 'Love Me Do' was released in June 1962. It reached number 17 in the UK singles cart.

Career: The Beatles' second single, 'Please Please Me' was released in November 1962 and went to number two in the UK charts. Their debut album, also entitled Please Please Me was recorded just a few months later. Even before the end of the year, the phrase 'Beatlemania' had been coined by the media, to describe the public frenzy surrounding the band. In the US, CBS aired a five minute film about the phenomenon of Beatlemania. It was scheduled for a repeat airing on the 22nd of November 1963, but following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the show was cancelled. When The Beatles finally travelled to the USA, in 1964, accompanied by Phil Spector and a number of journalists, they were greeted at the airport by 3,000 fans. In 1964, the band released their second LP, Introducing. The Beatles. When they undertook the promotional tour, Ringo Starr contracted tonsillitis and was briefly replaced by session drummer Jimmy Nicol. Later that year, The Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night was released, followed by their fourth studio album, Beatles For Sale. The Beatles were awarded an MBE in June 1965, after receiving a nomination from the British Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The following month, The Beatles released the album Help! Along with an accompanying film of the same name. In July, they played to an audience of 55,600 at the Shea Stadium in New York - the first major stadium music concert in modern history. The band met Elvis Presley in Bel Air that month and had a jam session, though sadly, it was not recorded. The Beatles' sixth album, Rubber Soul was considered a step forward in the maturity and progression of the band's sound. When they toured in the Philippines, Brian Epstein insulted the nation's first lady, Imelda Marcos, by refusing an official invitation. On returning to the UK, they were greeted by further controversy, thanks to John Lennon's earlier comments that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." Copies of The Beatles' next album, Yesterday and Today with the original artwork fetch thousands of pounds in auctions today. The Beatles' next two albums, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band were both hugely successful and used new recording techniques such as sampling and tape looping. The Beatles' next film, Magical Mystery Tour received something of a backlash from the UK press. In 1968, The Beatles announced the formation of their own label, Apple Corps. Later that year, they released The White Album, which featured the tracks 'Dear Prudence' and 'Back in the USSR'. In January 1969, The Beatles performed their infamous rooftop gig on top of the Apple Building in Savile Row, London. The performance was filmed for their film Let It Be. In 1969, the band released Abbey Road, named after Abbey Road Studios, where they recorded much of their output. In 1970, the tapes for what would become the Let It Be album were given to Phil Spector, an American producer famed for his 'Wall Of Sound' production style. Despite Paul McCartney publicly denouncing Spector's production technique and despite the public break up of the band in April of that year, Spector's version of the album was released in May 1970. Following the break up of the band, several members of the band went on to release solo albums, including Paul McCartney's McCartney and Ringo Starr's Ringo. The Capitol record label made a number of hasty releases, including The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, in an attempt to cash in on the band's demise and loss of creative control over the label's Beatles material. On 8th December 1980, John Lennon was shot dead in New York City by Mark David Chapman. Lennon was married to Yoko Ono at the time of his death. The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. George Harrison and Ringo Starr collected the award, along with Yoko Ono and Lennon's two sons, Julian and Sean Lennon. Paul McCartney refused to attend the ceremony. In 1994, once McCartney had resolved many of his issues with the remaining surviving Beatles, he got together with Harrison and Starr to compile The Beatles Anthology, which was released in February 1994. The song 'Free As A Bird' was released as a single to promote the collection. On 29th November 2001, George Harrison died of lung cancer. McCartney announced in November 2008 that he wishes to release an experimental recording made by The Beatles. In order to release the track, entitled 'Carnival Of Light', he will need to gain permission from Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, George's wife, as well as Ringo Starr. In April 2009, it was announced that all of The Beatles' original 13 UK studio albums would be released in newly remastered versions, named Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters: Volume Two. The Mojo journalist Mat Snow was given the privilege of listening to the remastered version of The White Album and claimed that the new recordings were "better even than we'd hoped." It has been reported that Bob Dylan introduced The Beatles to cannabis in 1964, when the band were visiting New York. The next year, John Riley - an acquaintance of the band - introduced John Lennon and George Harrison to LSD. In 1967, The Beatles joined Graham Greene and R.D. Laing in signing an advert in The Times calling for the legalization of cannabis. In October, 1985, Michael Jackson finalised a deal in which he bought the Beatles' entire music catalogue for 47.5 million USD (106 million in 2013 USD). This was due to a contract McCartney and Lennon signed when the Beatles were founded, meaning that the rights to the songs did not belong to the song's creators. Between 2018 and 2026, the rights for each song will return to McCartney, as all song rights return to the creator after 56 years, due to a copyrights act from 1976.

A 93-minute blow-out of influences and disparate ideas, 'The White Album' is the Beatles record that's aged best.

It seems curiously fitting that, during the chaos and upheaval of 2018, we should be acknowledging the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ ninth, self-titled LP, immediately known in common parlance as ‘The White Album’.

An album released in late November 1968, the end of a year characterised by dread and bad vibes, which saw the tide of the Vietnam War turn against America, Black Power salutes at the Olympics, the death of Martin Luther King Jr. and the general death of the hippie philosophy, 'The White Album' perfectly captured the sense of its era.

Peculiarly, its themes still seem to stand up in 2018. At a time of Black Lives Matter, fake news, Donald Trump and the resurgence of the far-right in Western democracies, ‘The White Album’s darker moments still have the same resonance they did half a century ago.

A soundtrack for rainy days, washed out weekends and being huddled up indoors.

If there’s one thing that fundamentally defines the experience of living in Britain, it’s rain. Specifically, the curious ability to experience all four seasons in a day just by walking to the shops, but also the way in which rain – its absence, its imminence or its recent presence – constitutes such a significant topic of debate for the inhabitants of these dampened isles.

As the temperature drops and the days get shorter in the run-up to Christmas, we’ve listed ten songs about rainy days – but also about the autumn and winter, the cold and the wind, and being wrapped up in the warm as raindrops patter on the window. Some aren’t about weather at all, but simply about having to while away a day huddled in shelter from the elements.

Drake has now notched up 12 Billboard Hot 100 top ten hits in 2018 - the most for any artist in a single year.

Rap megastar Drake has just overhauled a Billboard chart record held by The Beatles for over half a century, after his new track with Bad Bunny landed in the top ten this week.

The 32 year old’s guest spot on ‘MIA’ means that he’s now had 12 songs reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2018 – the most that any artist has had in a single year.

It meant that a chart record that had stood for 54 years, when The Beatles scored 11 top ten hits in 1964 when both ‘I Feel Fine’ and ‘She’s A Woman’ entered the charts in America on December 26th that year.

It's an interesting facet of the human condition that we can find beauty and, in some cases, solace in misery and heartbreak. Indeed, musicians have been doing it for years and made a lot of money doing so, simply because we love to wallow in sadness as people. We've put together a dramatic playlist that will no doubt cause you to shed a few tears.

Ringo Starr becomes the second beatle to be knighted at Buckingham Palace as he is named Sir Richard Starkey by the Duke of Cambridge. It's a huge achievement for the drummer, though it's admittedly a long time coming. And he knows exactly when he'll be wearing his new medal.

Ringo Starr pictured with Paul McCartney

The 77-year-old Knight Bachelor was awarded one of the highest honours the UK has to offer its citizens for his services to music this week, having been informed of his recognition back in December as part of the 2018 New Year Honours.

It doesn't matter that they are considered one of the most influential rock bands in history, Quincy Jones has nothing good to say about The Beatles - particularly Ringo Starr. Though, in all honesty, he has few positive things to say about the rock genre in general.

Quincy Jones at the premiere of 'Sandy Wexler'

In a recent interview with Vulture, the 84-year-old multi-Grammy winning record producer opened up about everything from managing Michael Jackson to dating Ivanka Trump. But perhaps one of the most inflammatory comments he made was in records to John Lennon and Paul McCartney's legendary group The Beatles.

Radiohead's Philip Selway and Ringo Starr has got to be one of the coolest live collaborations this year - and there have been quite a few. They performed a rendition of 'With a Little Help From My Friends' during Ringo's New York show earlier this week.

Ringo Starr celebrates his birthday

The drummer and the former Beatle united for a performance of the 1967 Beatles number from their 'Yellow Submarine' album on Wednesday night (November 15th 2017) at the Beacon Theatre in New York City as part of the Ringo Starr All Starr Band tour dates.

The original handwritten score that the Beatles wrote for 'Eleanor Rigby' is being put up for auction in Cheshire next month, signed by Sir Paul McCartney. It will be sold alongisde a number of other items related to the protagonist of the song - although coincidentally.

Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney at the premiere for 'Eight Days a Week'

The music sheet was written in pencil by the band's long time producer George Martin, with the lyrics by Paul McCartney who signed it. It's expected to fetch upwards of £20,000 ($26,000) at auction in Warrington in September.

Beatles fans of the UK will now be able to wear their band passion on their sleeves, literally, as Selfridges unveils a brand new T-shirt collection to celebrate 50 years of their 1967 album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' alongside the new re-release.

The Beatles merchandise on sale at Selfridges

From today (July 19th 2017), music fans can purchase exclusive 50th anniversary T-shirts, hoodies and jackets at Selfridges in London, Manchester and Birmingham as part of the store's Capsule Collection entitled '50 Years of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. The brand has been launched in partnership with Universal merch company Bravado.

The Beatles - Adly Syairi Ramly, a self-proclaimed music and LEGO junkie, has transformed the toy brand's famous figures into some of the world's most iconic bands. Legendary acts such as the Beatles, Foo Fighters, Radiohead and Pearl Jam have been given a LEGO makeover and photographed using only an iPhone 5 with no added desktop editing. - Malaysia - Wednesday 19th March 2014

The Beatles and Corn Maze - Beatles Tribute in Midst of Richardson Adventure Farm's Corn Fields. The corn maze was created in the iconic image of the world's most famous band, The Beatles. The Spring Grove farm is unveiling its tribute to the Beatles first album release 50 years ago with its 28-acre corn maze etched with the images of Beatles Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr along with guitars, drums and an LP record and musical score - Spring Grove, IL, United States - Friday 2nd August 2013

Cynthia Lennon and BeatlesTuesday 16th June 2009 attends the opening of 'White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon' at the Liverpool Beatles Story at Pier Head Liverpool, England

Lina Axmacher, Beatles and Rolling StonesTuesday 3rd March 2009 Opening of Not Fade Away Gallery and the premiere exhibition of 'The British Are Coming: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones 1964-66' New York City, USA

Billy Joel and BeatlesThursday 7th February 2008 Mets press conference for 'The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy.' Billy Joel will play the last concert at Shea Stadium on the 16th of July 2008. Queens, New York